Zumbro 17 Mile Endurance Run Description and History:The Zumbro 17 Mile Trail Race is a one (16.7 mile) loop, 100% trail race within the Zumbro River Bottoms Management area in Southern Minnesota’s Bluff Country / just outside of the tiny village of Theilman. Generally speaking, the Zumbro River Bottoms Management area lies within a portion of the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Forest – an expansive 2 million acre tract of Minnesota Hardwood forest. We will not pretend these are mountains, because they are not, this is Mississippi River Valley Bluff Country, it is wild, rugged, beautiful and provides the perfect venue for 100 miles of trail running!. The race starts and finishes at the West Assembly Area. Runners will have access to five aid stations during the race – that is an average of an aid station every 3-1/3 miles!). The course consists of primarily single and double-track trail with some minimum maintenance gravel road sections. This is a laid back, old school, low-key trail raced… help us to keep it that way by bringing the right attitude and always providing the right of way to the 100 and 50 mile runners. The 17 mile race was added in 2012 to give trail runners an opportunity to experience the trail without having to run 50 or 100 miles and to financially support the 50 and 100 mile races.

Registration:Registration for the 2016 race will open on Sunday November 1, 2015. We online registration only and it will be hosted through UltraSignup. The fee is $65.00 (plus UltraSignup fees). Registration will close on Friday April 1st, 2016 at 5:00 PM or once the field limit has been met. There will be no registration after Friday April 1st. There will be no registration at packet-pickup or race-day registration so do not delay in signing up!

Field Limit:
Field limit for the 17 mile race is 400 runners.

Refunds, Transfers & Switches:Entry fees are not refundable under any circumstance. Race registrations are not transferable to other participants, to future years races or to other Rocksteady Running events. We do do not allow transfers race between distances. Please consider these factors carefully before registering.

Waiting List:
We DO NOT keep a waiting list for those that did not get in prior to the race selling out.

What you get:A well marked course with plenty of aid and tons of friendly, experienced volunteers. Runners who register by March 13th will have their name custom printed on their race numbers. All finishers will receive a wood finishers medal. TBD for 2016, runners will either get a t-shirt, long-sleeve t-shirt, Rocksteady Wrap (like a buff) or a trucker hat – we will make a decision prior to registration opening.

Camping is available right at the start area for everything from tents to the largest RVs. There is self serve registration near the entrance. The daily camping fee is $16.00. More info can be found on the DNR website HERE.

We will do a quick race-briefing at the start-line at 8:50 AM / 10 minutes prior to the race-start.

Drop Bags:There are no drop bags for the 17 mile trail race

Whether and Clothing:

Early April. in Minnesota – we can have highs in the 70′s and lows in the low 30′s or, believe it or not, a combination of both! All the snow should be gone and the trail should be in good shape, but once in awhile some patchy snow and mud will linger. Be prepared for all weather and trail-conditions, watch the forecast and plan accordingly – typically, this is a beautiful time of year to run in Minnesota.

Race Start:Zumbro River Bottoms / Management Area – West Assembly, Saturday April 9th, 9:00 AM. All runners must check-in race morning by no later than 8:30AM – if you fail to do so, you are not officially in the race – this is your responsibility. We will do a quick pre-race briefing at 8:50AM/ 10 minutes prior to the race start.

Other Distances:
The 100 mile race will already have been in progress for 25 hours by the time the 17 mile race starts and the 50 mile will have been in progress for 9 hours – we ask that you exercise extreme caution when coming upon and passing 100 mile and 50 mile runners as they will likely be running slower and will not be as sure on their feet after so many hours of running – please encourage, respect and pass with care!

Race Numbers:The Zumbro Endurance Run hosts three races simultaneously, the Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run (starts at 8:00 AM Friday) and the Zumbro Midnight 50 (starts at 12:01 AM Saturday) and the Zumbro 17 Mile (starts at 9:00 AM Saturday). Each distance will have its own unique race number (unique color and number series) so runners can be easily identified by race officials, volunteers, spectators and other runners. Runners who register by March 17th will have their name custom printed on their race numbers. We ask that all competitors wear their number on the front of their body on their outer-most layer at all times. Runners will be tracked coming into and out of each aid station. If we cannot see your number, we cannot track you or take your finishing time and if we cannot do that, you will be disqualified and will not earn an official finish. More information can be found HERE http://www.zumbro100.com/race-numbers/

Chip-TimingThe Zumbro Endurance Run will be chip timed. Your timing chip will be affixed to the back of your race number. Do not remove your timing chip. Do not bend or fold your timing chip or crumple your race number – this may break your timing chip. Your race number and your timing chip must be pinned on your outer-most layer at all times. Above guidelines must be followed in order ensure that split times and finish times are recorded. This chip is disposable and does not need to be returned. More informatinon can be found HERE http://www.zumbro100.com/chip-timing/

Course Markings:The course will be marked with Orange flags with reflective strips, which will always be on the left hand side of the trail except in the rare occasions where there will be two-way traffic, in those areas the flags will be on both sides of the trail – reflective arrows will be used sparingly as well.

It is unfortunate but is not unheard of at many of the major trail races that course vandalism has occurred and flagging has been intentionally moved or removed by small minded individuals – it is important that you study the course prior to running and have a concept of where you are going.

Aid Stations.
Our aid stations are manned by volunteers, many of them spending a good part of their weekend out there – please be sure to thank the volunteers!

A complete list of the aid stations can be found on the “Aid Stations, Maps and Data Page”.

*If you have special dietary requirements, please carry what you need. We cannot guarentee that all of the above foods listed will be available at all times, if there is a nutrition item that could “make or break” your race, be sure to carry what you need.

Pacers:
Pacers are not allowed in the 17 mile.

HeadphonesDue to our past experience with people wearing headphones on trail runs such as these, we discourage their use however we won’t tell you can’t wear them . Full awareness of one’s surroundings, and the ability to communicate with other participants, race volunteers, and trail users unassociated with the event are critical to everyone’s safety. Please use common sense.

Littering:Don’t do it. If you see some trash someone else has dropped, pick it up. Keep the trail clean.

Cut-off Times:
The finish line cutoff for an official finish is 9 hours (Saturday, 6:00 pm). All cutoffs will be strictly enforced – we do however reserve the right to pull (or allow to continue) any racer as we see fit – if you are uncomfortable with those terms, consider running another race.

If You DNF:Should you need to drop out of the race, remove your number and your chip and give them directly to the HAM radio operators at the aid stations you are dropping at – if you are not sure who that is ask around until you find them. If you leave the course and fail to notify race officials, you will be asked not to come back.

Awards:1st Place Overall Male and Female

Results:Results will be updated regularly at the finish. Preliminary results will be available on the website within a couple of days of the finish – final results (with any corrections) will be posted on our website within a few weeks of the end of the race.

Lost and Found
Any personal items left after the race will be donated to a charity. We will not ship items to you.

Volunteers:
We are always looking for them. Do you have friends and family coming but don’t really need them to follow you around to crew – see if they want to volunteer. Learn more by visiting the volunteer page.

Next years race date:
The race is typically the 1st or 2nd weekend in April – The 2017 date will most likely be April 7-8 BUT THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. The Zumbro races are always held the weekend before Minnesota Turkey Hunting starts – sometimes these schedules are not released until late fall of the upcoming year.